usatvline Chapter 100 Banquet
Chapter 100 Banquet
Chapter 100 Banquet
The Zheng family's lunch was rather unappetizing, except for the dishes, which were somewhat noteworthy.
Perhaps to accommodate Ni Guangye, the table was filled with northern Chinese dishes, including beef, which is not commonly seen, but the way it was prepared was rather strange—
Beef, after removing fat and tendons, is sliced and then mixed with seasonings such as pepper, long pepper, dried tangerine peel, and cardamom (ground into powder), along with ginger juice, scallion juice, and salt. After marinating for two days, it is taken out and baked into beef jerky.
The food was actually quite good, and Shao Shuyi ate with great relish while listening intently to Zheng Guozhen and Ni Guangye discuss matters concerning Dadu.
"In fact, since four years ago, His Majesty has been determined to reform and implement new policies," Ni Guangye said. "The new policies were supported by Prime Minister Tuotuo. First, the imperial examination system was reinstated, which made all the scholars in the country happy."
Three years ago, the number of students at Xingguo Academy increased significantly.
They reopened the Imperial Lectures and filled the Kui Zhang Pavilion, which had been empty during Bayan's reign of terror.
Last year, in order to summarize the reasons for the rise and fall of previous dynasties, he requested the compilation of the histories of Liao, Jin, and Song, and Tuotuo was appointed as the chief compiler.
Finally, there was the matter of rectifying the officialdom. The censors repeatedly impeached officials, and although the deep-seated problems were difficult to eradicate, it did make officials of all ranks in the capital much more restrained.
"The Prime Minister still has some ambition," Zheng Guozhen remarked. "If he can continue like this, he might very well become a renowned minister who revitalizes the dynasty."
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"That's right," Ni Guangye said in an approving tone. "Many people say that with the world in such chaos, the dynasty cannot last long. However, the Prime Minister's plans are clear and well-reasoned, and his attitude is resolute. If they can be implemented properly, they may be able to turn the tide. Let's wait and see."
Shao Shuyi listened from the side, completely bewildered.
Tuotuo seems like a pretty normal person. If he wasn't a famous minister, he was at least a qualified prime minister.
He reinstated the imperial examination system to win over Confucian households and other scholars.
The purpose of holding lectures on classics and compiling history was also to win over scholars and give them something to do.
In rectifying officialdom, one must never admit to making mistakes. Even if one cannot truly reverse the situation, it is not difficult to make a slight correction and slow down the decline.
But why did things escalate to such an uncontrollable state, as they have in history? Were the new policies implemented too aggressively, causing a backlash?
Shao Shuyi found it hard to understand.
The group then spoke of Wu Zhifang, a native of Wuzhou and the former teacher of the Tuotuo brothers, who was also a key figure in their northward journey to Dadu (Beijing). They said that Wu was now a Grand Academician of the Jixian Academy and frequently offered advice on new policies, which Tuotuo always heeded. Furthermore, under Tuotuo's influence, Wu had gained the emperor's favor and was often consulted on political matters.
The basic idea was to first win over Wu Zhifang, and then use him to influence Prime Minister Tuotuo to secure the position of Deputy Commander of Ten Thousand Households for Ye Shijian.
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi understood where Zheng's trump card lay: Wuzhou (Jinhua) was right next to Quzhou, and Zheng Yonghe might have some connection with this Wu Zhifang.
This matter was kept very well hidden; even Zheng Fan hadn't told him about it. Perhaps he wouldn't truly know until he arrived in Dadu—of course, he wasn't going now.
In addition, Shao Shuyi also learned that Ni Guangye and Ni Kejiu were actually relatives of the same generation, even though the former had settled in Dadu and the latter was from Qingyuan. In fact, he should have guessed this earlier. Knowing that the two were both of the rare and uncommon surname Ni, he should have been more cautious.
Ni Kejiu's father, Ni Tianyuan, was a grain transporter in his early years. He owned ten large ships and had thousands of boatmen under his command, accumulating a great deal of wealth.
Their family truly enjoyed the benefits of transporting grain while avoiding the hardships of it. Although they are still transporting grain now, the scale is much smaller, more like a symbolic operation, just for fun with the grain transport authorities.
It's not hard to guess why Ni came to Taicang. Considering Zheng Song's appointment as an official in the Qingshao Thousand-Household Office, Shao Shuyi suspected that Zheng Guozhen had the intention of being transferred from the central government to serve as the head of a certain Thousand-Household Office. Clearly, he had chosen Qingshao (Ningbo and Shaoxing) and had already begun preparations.
The luncheon lasted from noon until late afternoon.
During this period, Shao Shuyi was mostly uninvolved. The few times he was mentioned were usually about transporting porcelain.
He had nothing to do with transporting porcelain from Chuzhou; the Zheng family had established partners.
The transportation of porcelain from Quzhou was a newly added business, which the Zheng family also entrusted to wealthy households who were dependent on them.
Only the transportation of Jingdezhen porcelain, which was the furthest and relatively most dangerous, was entrusted to Shao Shuyi. Zheng Fan had mentioned this before, and this time it was confirmed by Zheng Guozhen himself.
As for other goods such as silk and cotton cloth, each has its own owners, and the distribution of interests is unlikely to change in the short term.
Thus, Shao Shuyi came to understand just how many vines, drawing nourishment from the towering tree of the Zheng family, had attached themselves to it.
If the Zheng family falls, it's estimated that over a dozen wealthy households will suffer, including Shao Shuyi, a newcomer who has barely managed to squeeze in.
In the evening, Shao Shuyi and Zheng Fan left Chengjingyuan.
Just as I was about to leave through the gate, I heard a woman's voice not far away.
Shao Shuyi's radar automatically searched and quickly locked onto the three people: one master, two servants, and himself.
The other party seemed to have noticed him as well.
The two maids in green glanced at him with complicated expressions, then quickly lowered their heads.
The girl in red, Amu, walked over from afar and bowed to Zheng Fan, saying, "Sixth Uncle."
Zheng Fan, who was usually somewhat cynical, became serious and returned the greeting, saying, "Is my niece Ning here for a stroll?"
Amu nodded and said, "Furong and Shiliu are probably going to be married off to the eleventh son of the Fang family. They are very worried. I am trying to comfort them."
As he said this, he glanced at Shao Shuyi.
Huh? Shao Shuyi was a little surprised. Could it be that even if I don't want them, these two maids are still going to be married off and used as tools for Zheng to win over the outsiders?
He knew perfectly well that the girl in red was speaking to him, but so what?
Do you really think I can't find women? If all else fails, I'll go to the theater and find "female stars" to play with. It's not difficult, and it's a standard feature of gangsters.
"Fang Family Eleventh Son?" Zheng Fan hesitated for a moment upon hearing the name, then shook his head and sighed, "This is fate."
Upon hearing this, Amu's eyes dimmed considerably, and he lowered his head.
It was clear that coming to say hello had exhausted her courage.
"Niece, you should go back to your room and rest early. It's getting late and quite cold outside." Zheng Fan cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I'm leaving."
Shao Shuyi also cupped his hands in greeting, and as he passed Amu, he lowered his voice and asked, "Has Madam Zheng ever heard of Feng Xuan?"
Having said that, he quickened his pace and left.
Amu paused slightly, frowning as she pondered who Feng Xuan was. She vaguely remembered seeing him in the *Records of the Grand Historian*, but wasn't entirely sure. For a fleeting moment, curiosity drove her to immediately return to her study to consult the classics; she was just too bored—
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After leaving the old house, Zheng Fan waved to Shao Shuyi, who then got into his carriage.
"You don't need to be too anxious about today's events." Zheng Fan observed Shao Shuyi's expression and, seeing that he didn't seem to care much, relaxed. He then said, "The eleventh son of the Fang family is named Fang Ancun. He has practiced martial arts since childhood and has a violent temper. He currently lives in Suzhou, has a wide circle of friends, and frequently travels between Chuzhou and Taicang."
Having said that, Shao Shuyi understood.
Fang Ancun frequently received orders to transport state-owned goods for the Zheng family, but he didn't do it himself. Instead, he relied on his "extensive network of connections."
He took on the role of "general contractor".
"This man often beats his wife when he's drunk, and his first wife may have died of anger," Zheng Fan added. "But since the Zheng and Fang families have been linked by marriage for generations, some things are better left unsaid. Just keep it to yourself. Anyway, he lives in Suzhou year-round, so you won't run into him. Don't worry about it too much."
"Understood." Shao Shuyi nodded.
"Next, I will truly be stepping down as the manager of the porcelain shop," Zheng Fan continued. "Whether Sanshe will send a new person is anyone's guess. You just hold on for now. The batch of porcelain sold to Ali this summer is of paramount importance. If it succeeds, everything will be fine. If it fails, I will be humiliated, but you will be in even greater trouble. Sanshe is a man—"
Zheng Fan paused for a moment, then said, "When they appreciate you, they're incredibly generous with their rewards. But once they decide you're no longer good enough, they can turn on you just as quickly. Don't be careless."
Shao Shuyi's heart skipped a beat. He bowed to Zheng Fan and said, "Thank you for the reminder, sir."
They've been very kind of them to put themselves in that position.
"Alright, that's all." Zheng Fan waved his hand and said, "Keep an eye on things with Madam Shen; maybe you can snag some work. Besides her, you should also get to know the people in Taicang and Liujiagang. If you don't know anyone, who's going to give you work?"
"You are right, sir," Shao Shuyi replied.
Indeed, he should develop more new clients. Otherwise, he will always be controlled by the Zheng family and will never be able to stand up for himself.
"Okay, that's all I wanted to say." After saying that, Zheng Fan closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
Shao Shuyi bowed, lifted the curtain, and jumped off the carriage.
Liang Tai and Tie Niu, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords, crowded around him.
Cao Tong looked at him from afar, seemingly asking if he was going back to Liujiagang.
Shao Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "Buddha's tooth, here are ten strings of cash. Go to the market and buy some decent gifts. Quickly, go and come back quickly."
Liang Tai took the money and left.
Shao Shuyi approached the carriage and asked, "Shitou, do you recognize Zheng's Shipyard?"
"I recognize it." Cao Tong nodded.
"Take me there in a bit," Shao Shuyi said.
Friendships need to be maintained. He hadn't visited Li Zhuang in a while, and since he had some free time today, he went over to catch up.